Better handicraft designs urged

Workers make wooden products in Hiep Long Fine Furniture Company. The Vietnamese handicraft producers are urged to improve quality and designs of the products to boost exports. — VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

HA NOI (VNS) — Viet Nam has been urged to improve the quality and designs of handicraft products with unique cultural footprints to boost their exports, given their high demand in the world market.

Nguyen Thu Thao of the Viet Nam Association for Handicraft Exporters said the global market for handicraft and gift products was worth around US$100 billion every year, with major consumption markets concentrated in the United States, Germany, France, the United Kingdom, Holland, and Hong Kong.

Handicraft products have great export potential, according to Le Ba Ngoc, the association's general secretary.

Ngoc pointed out that Viet Nam's major advantages in developing handicraft products are raw materials and labour force.

A recent survey conducted by Viet Nam Rural Industries Research and Development Institute showed that 85 per cent of handicraft companies in the country exported their products.

"The most important effort needed to boost handicraft exports is manufacturing products of competitive quality for global markets," Ngoc stressed.

The handicraft items of Viet Nam have yet to create a footprint or navigate to specific markets because Vietnamese handicraft manufacturers mainly produce low-cost products in bulk for large retailers.

Around 90 per cent of Vietnamese handicraft products are made to suit the technical designs of importers and are not made under Vietnamese labels.

Experts point out that Vietnamese handicraft producers must understand the importance of designs and sophistication in combining cultural footprints with constant innovation, which will enhance the competitiveness of their products.

In addition, handicraft producers need to pay attention to obtain international certifications to penetrate and expand to markets with stricter norms. — VNS